My husband loves to grill. That’s why I gave him the job of coming up with a recipe for our friend’s birthday party “grill off.” That’s right. When there’s celebration that involves a healthy dose of competition + grilling, you know it’s going to be delicious! People rise to the occasion.
With a theme of dishes from around Asia, Jim got to work on a flavorful marinade using all things he adores and a little help from his diligent internet search: ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic. And just like any great partnership, he asked me for my two cents. My suggestion was to throw in something unusual since this was a competition after all.
Pears are the perfect addition to a blended marinade. From what we later read in articles like this one I love from The Kitchn, pear juice is often used by Korean cooks as a tenderizer and sweet flavor enhancer. Assuming that many of our “bros” at the party would go big time meat centric, we opted for chicken in the form of a beautiful yellow pepper, onion, and perfect pear chicken kabob. It was a HIT. We even won a little trophy, but don’t take my word for it. Fire up that grill before the snow comes and take a little Korean BBQ adventure with pears this fall.
- Pear, 1
- White onion, 1/2
- Garlic, 4 cloves
- Tamari (gluten free soy sauce), 2 tablespoons
- Brown sugar, 2 tablespoons
- Sesame oil, 1 tablespoon
- Ginger (fresh), approximately 2 teaspoons
- Skinless boneless chicken breasts, 3, medium sized cubes
- Red onion, 1, medium pieces
- Yellow Bell Pepper, 1, medium dice
- Wooden skewers, 10
- Place the chopped pear (skin on), white onion, garlic, tamari, brown sugar, sesame oil, and ginger in a blender and pulse until smooth to make the pear marinade.
- Marinate chicken for 30 minutes while preheating the grill. Soak wooden skewers in a bowl of water while chicken is marinating.
- Alternate the marinated chicken cubes, thick slices of red onion, and medium diced yellow bell pepper.
- Grill for 10-12 minutes over medium high heat, rotating the skewers to sear all sides.
Chef Hollie Greene
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